Protector-guard for stylus of recording mechanisms



May 17, 1932. E. s. PHELPS 1,859,163

PROTECTOR GUARD FOR STYLUS OF RECORDING MECHANISMS Filed April 2 1931ATTORNEY Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE EDWIN SANFORDPHELPS, OF MONTGLAIR, NEW JERSEY Application filed April 2,

My invention relates to recording devices,

and is particularly well adapted for use in connection with locksembodying means for making a record indicating the movement of thelocking-bolt in the operation of locking and also unlocking the door towhich the lock is applied so as to provide a record for the proprietorby which he may determine whether or not entrance has been effectedduring a period it is supposed entrance is not to be made. Various typesof lock mechanisms for the purposes mentioned have been in practicaluse. In some of them there is employed a marking point or stylus incontact with a record-receiving member, such for instance as asensitized-paper, to receive a record inscription of the period duringwhich the lock-bolt has been in its locked-position and also in itsunlocked position, and also of its movement from one of said conditionsto the other condition. Said mechanism has afforded a large measure ofsafety in making the record desired. It has sometimes happened howeverthat a dishonest employee, or other person, has tampered with therecording means, for instance, by breaking contact between the recordingstylus and the recordreceiving member, so that during the periodimmediately following such surreptitious manipulation the locking-boltmay be thrown and during that period no record made, and at the end ofthe period the stylus be reset to its recording position, and thus theprorietor of the place obtains a fictitious or false record and thedishonest individual is liable to escape detection. To guard against thepossibility of making such false records is the primary purpose of thepresent invention. To that end I provide means designed to maintainconstant record making contact between the stylus and record-receivingmember so that a record will be made of a fraudulent manipulation ofpart of the record making instrumentalities as well as record of thelegitimate operation of the instrumentalities, and thus the proprietor,or his representative, is better enabled to be informed of theunauthorized tampering or manipulation of the recording mechanism. Inthe preferred embodiment of this invention, I provide means 1931. SerialNo. 527,258.

for guarding against breaking contact between the marking stylus andrecord-receiving member so that constant contact between them ismaintained which results in making a record of both authorized andunauthorized movement of the locking bolt, and thus a factor ofadditional safety to the recording mechanism is provided.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of theinvention,

Figure l is a front elevation of a casing containing recordingmechanism, having a portion broken away to show a record-receivingmember of an acceptable character, and a stylus for making a recordthereon, and also showing the present invention applied to maintainconstant recording contact between the stylus and record-receiving member;

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing the feature of the present inventionand associated parts;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through the upper part of therecord-containing cas- Figure 4 is a detached, perspective view of thestylus protecting guard.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a casing in which is enclosedthe recording mechanism, and in the lower part of which is a lock-bolt(not shown) operable by a key in serted in the lock-tumbler 2, orotherwise, for projecting and also retracting the bolt through properconnections not constituting the present invention and consequently notshown or described in detail. Access may be had to the interior of thecasing through a hinged door 3, or otherwise. The numeral 4 designates arecord-receiving member, which preferably consists of paper having asensitized surface upon which a stylus will make a suitable recordedinscription. In the illustration given the record-receiving member issuitably connected to a member by which it may be progressively moved,which may be a dial-plate 5 mounted to rotate with a shaft 6 suit-ablymounted and rotated through a pinion 7 operatively connected withsuitable clock-train deriving power from a spring-barrel, or otherwise,so as to move the record-receiving member relatively to its markingstylus, the record-receiving paper being secured to the dial-plate bypins 7" passing through the paper and by spring fingers 8 pressingagainst the paper and held by a threaded thumb nut 9. The marker orstylus 10 is carried by a swinging arm 11, preferably spring arm, whichholds the point of the marker or stylus in contact with the sensitizedsurface of the record receiving member, and with said arm is associateda finger 12 whose free end bears against the periphery of a snail 13attached to one'face'of a toothed wheel. 14 which derives rotativemovement from the clock-train referred to so that the stylus will makesuccessive convolute markings on the record receiving member as thelatter is moved along and the stylus is moved progressively in a radialdirection, under movement of the snail, over the record receivingmember. The lock-bolt may be suitably connected with the swinging arm ofthe stylus so that when the bolt is projected in one direction thestylus arm will be swung so as to make a radial marking on therecordreceiving member which read in connection with the time indicatingmarkings indicated at A on the face of the record-receiving member willgive the hour and fractional part of the hour when the bolt wasprojected; and when the bolt is retracted the swinging arm of the styluswill be swung inwardly under spring pressure or otherwise, and thestylus will make another marking on the record-receiving member whichread in connection with the time divisions on the face of the paper willindicate the hour and fractional part of the hour at which the bolt wasretracted. The parts so far generally referred to and their operationare old and well known and susceptible of more or less variations and donot constitute the present invention and therefore are not illustratedand described in more detail, and only so much of such parts areillustrated as necessary to understand the present invention.

Under constructions heretofore used it is possible to physically movethe stylus from out of contact with the record-receiving memher and thenmanipulate the bolt actuating means so as to throw the bolt withoutrecording its movement and, after gaining access to the premises towhich the recorder is applied, to restore the recording stylus to itsoperative position and thus the purposes of the unfaithful employee orother person, is made possible of accomplishment without de tection ormaking a record easily read or deciphered. To protect the recordingdevice against such nefarious practice, I have devised a protectingguard for the stylus which prevents the stylus from being moved out ofcontact with the record-receiving member so that the stylus must make arecord under all conditions and thus afford positive evidence or proofof any such unlawful or unauthorized tampering with the recorder. Forthat purpose I provide a guard positioned in such relation to the stylusthat the guard will prevent such movement of the stylus as would breakcontact between it and the record-receiving member, with the result thatthe stylus must make a marking on the record-receiving member under allconditions. If the stylus should be moved so as to pass outside of orbeyond the record receiving face, or boundary line, of therecord-receiving member, the stylus will make a record on therecord-receivin member throughout the length of travel 0 the stylus, andthus afford evidence of such unauthorized tamperin with the recorder.The referred form of the protecting guard is il ustrated in Figure 4 ofthe drawings and preferably comprises a bracket 15 for attachment by apin 16 and screw 17 to a suitable support and provided with a finger 18to lie in the path of the longitudinal axis of the stylus, preferablyacross its outer end, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, so thatthe marking point of the stylus will be prevented from being moved outof contact with the record-recelving member and thus will insure themaking of a continuous inscription on the record-receiving member solong as the stylus and record-receivin member are in physical contactwith eac other in the operation of the recorder. Without such protectingguard the stylus could be moved outwardly away from the record-receivingmember so as not to be in contact therewith and the swinging arm of thestylus could be .swung so as to carry the stylus outside of theperiphery or border line of the record-receiving member to a positionoutside of the area of the face of the record-receiving member without arecord being made on the record-receiving member, during the period thestylus is out of its recording position, and the unfaithful employee, orother person, would be given an opportunity to enter the premiseswithout making a record of the fact, and afforded an opportunity tocover up his action by restoring the stylus to its operative positionafter accomplishment of his purpose. But if continuous contact betweenthe stylus and record-receiving member is insured, then an inscriptionis made on the record-receiving member in swinging the stylus to aposition outside of the area or face of the record-receiving member, andattention thus called to such surreptitious manipulation of therecorder. Additional safety or security is accordingly afforded by thereoing description. he guard-member may .e provided with a backing-plate19 posttioned. to lie back of the record-receiving member as shown inFigures 2 and 3 so as to aflt'ord a stiff backing at the point where thecorder as will be apparent from the forestylus makes contact with therecord-receiving member, if such member be made of paper.

It will be observed that the protecting guard-plate extends or lies inthe path of travel of the stylus so that throughout the travel of thestylus the guard-plate will prevent breaking contact between the stylusand record-receiving member so that throughout the travel of one of therecording instrumentalities relatively to the other contact will bemaintained between the cooperating recording instrumentalities and arecorded inscription made upon the record-receiving member.

While in the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, therecord-receiving member is a rotating sensitized paper with which thestylus is held in constant contact in the recording operation it isobvious that the invention is not limited to that particular embodiment,and that the invention contemplates and includes within its scope otherembodiments in which means are employed for maintaining substantiallyconstant contact between the stylus and the record-receiving memberduring the record making period of the recorder.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits what I claimis 1. In a recording mechanism including a record-receiving member and astylus for making an inscription thereon; a protectingguard memberdisposed in relation to the stylus to prevent movement of the stylus ina direction breaking contact between its marking-point and therecord-receiving member during the recording-period of the recorder.

2. In a recording mechanism includin a record-receiving member and astylus ior making an inscription thereon; a protecting guardmemberdisposed in the path of travel of the stylus, in relation to therecord-receiving member to prevent movement of the stylus in a directionbreaking contact between its marking point and the recordreceivingmember in progressive movement of the stylus along its path of travel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWIN SANFORD PHELPS.

